This year the Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards consisted of 8 categories open for application to businesses from the UK and Ireland. The awards celebrate the achievements of small businesses, social enterprises and not-for-profits working in the fields of sustainability, social and environmental impact and the circular economy. Without further ado, here are the winners of the […]
All posts tagged with ethical business

Resources and advice for small businesses in the UK on how to deal with the COVID19 pandemic
We’ve compiled a roundup of advice and resources that we’ve seen for businesses and business owners over the past couple of weeks. 1. HM Govt Business Support: Here you’ll find all the support and information put together by the government. 2. ICAEW has a huge selection of resources and advice around tax, audit, financial reporting […]

Why a giant soap emporia that does hair and offers facials is a great idea.
I have a long-standing love affair with Lush. Can you blame me? Entering a Lush location is like stepping into a world of colourful, quirkily-named skincare products that look and smell good enough to eat. Plus the brand is well known for being at the forefront of sustainability in regards to packaging, animal testing, sourcing ethically […]

What does it mean to be an ethical business in 2020?
In 2017 we featured this guest blog written by Sian Conway of #EthicalHour on what it means to be an ethical business. Now as we step into the first days of 2020 we’ve decided to revisit this issue and share our thoughts with you. So, what does it mean to be an ethical business in […]

The UK’s first circular business model : introducing Blue Patch
Have we reached boiling point? Today’s hyper-competitive economy makes running a business stressful and risky. Cost cutting to ‘remain in the game’ means the quality of products and services may be compromised and environmental negligence, long work hours and financial risk affect wellbeing – we’re burning out! Time for a new approach to business 10 […]

Whitworth Art Gallery hosts Blue Patch’s ‘travelling’ Department Store!
Blue Patch’s ‘travelling’ Sustainable Department Store popped up at the Whitworth, Manchester University’s award winning museum. Blue Patch were lucky to coincided with Whitworth Director Alistair Hudson’s radically refreshing vision for the ‘Useful Museum’ (listen to Alistair here). The Useful Museum got off to a flying start with the Reno residency, led by Linda Brogan. Everyone […]

Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards 2018!
We’re delighted to announce the Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards 2018 results are available here. The People’s Prize will be announced by the 2017 winner Anna Jacobs. Meet the talented artist-designer at #BStore18 as she hands the award to the winner for 2018! Thank you to the applicants for such wonderful submissions – every one was […]

Something old, something new: A guest blog by Jan Knibbs
Did anyone get engaged recently? Whether you are frantically planning your wedding, or simply keeping an eye out for ideas, here are a few ways in which you can incorporate some of your family history into your wedding dress. Intrigued? Read on. We live in an age of mass production, surrounded by a throw-away society. […]

A touch of June to your Jan
Did you know that January is named after Janus, the god of gateways and that Janus could look in both directions, back at the old year and forward towards the new year at the same time? Hindsight and foresight both 20/20 for this guy, right? However, as far as we’re concerned, December is as cold as January, […]

Three easy tips for a small business to improve sales
Are you caught up in the busy Christmas season, and yet dreading the impending January slump? We’ve come up with three easy ideas for you to implement right away to give yourself additional opportunities for sales during this period. 1. Create digital gift cards. If you don’t already offer gift cards or vouchers, you should. If you […]